S.Amdt. 498

SA 498. Mr. BRAUN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place in title VI, insert the following:

SEC. 6__. REPORT ON EFFECT OF PHASE-OUT OF REDUCTION OF
SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN SURVIVOR ANNUITIES BY
AMOUNT OF DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY
COMPENSATION.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit to
Congress a report on the effect of section 622 of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020
(Public Law 116-92) and the amendments made by such section.
(b) Contents.--The report submitted pursuant to subsection
(a) shall include the following:
(1) An assessment on the effect that section 622 of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020
(Public Law 116-92) and the amendments made by such section
had on beneficiaries and any unintended consequences that
were a result of such section or amendments.
(2) An evaluation of the authority that the Secretary has
in a situation when the Defense Finance Accounting Service
cannot verify the eligibility of a spouse and payments are
paused for the child.
(3) Recommendations for legislative action to ensure the
Secretary has the flexibility to make payments under
subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 10, United States Code,
to dependent children that are under the guardianship of
someone other than the surviving spouse.
(4) An assessment of the process of the Department for
determining eligibility for survivor benefits under
subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 10, United States Code,
and dependency and indemnity compensation under chapter 13 of
title 38, United States Code, and the coordination between
the Defense Finance Accounting Service and the Department of
Veterans Affairs for such benefits.
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